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Sunday, August 24, 2014

If you have a surplus of zucchini, use some of them to make this delicious and easy Calabacitas.

(Updated with better photos and step-by-step instructions, August 2014.) Calabacitas is a traditional recipe from the American southwest, and it's a quick and easy way to use up abundant summer squash if you have them in your garden. Traditional recipes for Calabacitas sometimes include things like corn or tomatoes, but in my version I concentrate on the flavors of the squash, onions, cheese, and green chiles. This is definitely a recipe that should be made to individual taste, and when I first made this I thought a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles was plenty spicy, but now I'd probably use a bigger can. Key to the flavor here is slightly browning the onions and squash as they cook; as long as you manage that you can't go wrong with this easy recipe.

Peel the onion, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into thin slivers. Wash squash and cut lengthwise into fourths, then into slices about 3/4 inch thick. Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 2-3 minutes, until starting to slightly brown. Add squash and saute about 4 minutes, or until squash is just starting to get tender. Turn a few times but not too often (you want the pieces of squash to brown a little.)

Add canned green chiles with juice to the pan and cook 6-8 minutes more, until squash is cooked through, but still slightly chewy. (This is a personal preference, but I prefer mine a little on the crisp side. Cook a little longer if you prefer a softer texture. More mature squash will take a bit longer to cook.) Season well with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Sprinkle the cheese over and cook 1-2 minutes more, stirring until cheese is melted and squash is partly coated with cheese. Serve immediately with a bit more cheese sprinkled over each serving.

Zucchini and yellow squash are both great low-carb ingredients, and with low-fat Mexican blend cheese, this is a great dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet or any other type of low-carb eating plan.

Nutritional Information?

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight using The Glycemic Index partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

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Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

Oooh - I was going to grill the zucchini in my fridge, (well, it's stored in my fridge and I was going to grill it on the grill), but this looks much tastier. Maybe we'll give it a try tomorrow night. I"ll let you know if we try it.

Kalyn, I LOVE your blog!!! I stumbled upon it a few weeks ago when I was looking for some tasty South Beach recipes. I made calabacitas with fresh squash and zucchini from the famers' market and my husband and I are OBSESSED!!! The green chiles and cheese make it such a treat. Now I have also gotten my mom and sisters hooked on your recipe. Thank you so much! Kalyn's Kitchen has definitely become my number one source for recipes. In fact, I am looking for summer veggie recipes right now before heading off to the farmers' market again for some fresh produce!

I will make this tomorrow, as I have 2 summer squash and 2 zucchini and just bought a can of green chilies, I planned to make a veggie lasagna using the zucchini for a noodle replacement, but this sounds so quick and easy. My question is what do you serve with this? A protein? I am just starting on SB so I would be in Phase I.

Wow, another grand slam recipe from this blog! It's so simple, yet the flavor is amazing. The liquid from the green chiles blends with the cheese to make a delicious cheese sauce. I served it over brown basmati rice cooked in veggie stock. I'm vegetarian and always looking for easy and interesting veg dishes - this one made the permanent rotation!

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